The present invention relates generally to toy vehicles, and more particularly, to a self-powered toy vehicle chassis which can automatically receive and reject a plurality of interchangeable bodies.
For many years self-powered vehicles such as electric trains and cars have been enjoyed by young children and many toys of this type include a continuous track or roadway layout on which the vehicle travels. To increase the play value of toys of this type, numerous accessories have been provided to add realism and action to such toys. For example, automatic coal, log, and baggage dumping and loading accessories are well known in the prior art for use in connection with electric train sets, and toys which comprise a track or roadway system on which a toy train or other self-propelled vehicle traverses through a pre-programmed series of forward and reverse maneuvers so as to simulate a train switching yard or a road construction site are all old and well known in the prior art.
One drawback to toys wherein a self-propelled vehicle traverses a pre-programmed series of operations on a track or guided roadway is that while there is an immediate attraction and fascination to toys of this type, after a short while children often become bored with the repetitive action of the toy, and the toy loses its play value.
While a number of self-powered toy vehicle sets have included a plurality of different types of vehicles to increase the play value of such sets, such provision by necessity increases the cost of such toys and often places them beyond the reach of many consumers.